Duggan Flanakin at International Business Times:
In an era when higher education is increasingly criticized for being exclusionary, overpriced, and ideologically rigid, Claremont McKenna College (CMC) under President Hiram Chodosh today offers a powerful counter-narrative: one rooted in democratizing access to top-tier education and fostering the kind of civic discourse essential to a functioning democracy.
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One of the most tangible manifestations of that vision is the CMC Opportunity Strategy – A $300 million commitment to expand post-graduate success for every student—including a lead gift from alumnus Henry Kravis for the Kravis Opportunity Fund—this initiative reduces debt, supports first-year internships, study abroad, and other key college costs of the full experience and opportunity for students from underserved backgrounds.
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But access alone isn’t enough. Higher education must also serve as a model for how to bridge differences. CMC is meeting that challenge head-on through its Open Academy initiative, launched in 2018. The program rests on three pillars: freedom of expression, viewpoint diversity, and constructive dialogue.
Unlike many colleges that have seen the free speech crisis play out in viral headlines, CMC has embraced intellectual friction as central to its mission. The school regularly hosts speakers from across the ideological spectrum—from former Obama administration officials to conservative commentators.
This is not by accident; it’s institutional design.
A survey from Heterodox Academy ranked CMC among the top liberal arts colleges fostering an environment conducive to free inquiry and open debate. And the college’s own data shows that over 90% of students report feeling comfortable sharing their views in class, a figure that stands well above national averages. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) ranked CMC #1 for the second time this past fall.